Advancing environmental assessment practice in South Africa

SAQA INVITES COMMENT ON EAPASA'S APPLICATION FOR PROFESSIONAL BODY STATUS, NO LATER THAN 2 JUNE 2019

The qualification standard for Environmental Assessment Practice was re-registered by the Board of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) on 25 October 2018, for a further five years. This re-registration made it possible for EAPASA to submit its application to SAQA, in December 2018, for recognition as a professional body. SAQA conducted a site visit to the EAPASA offices in Centurion in February 2019, and have concluded in their evaluation report that EAPASA meets all the criteria for recognising a professional body.

SAQA now invites comment from interested parties on EAPASA's application, no later than 30 days after publication of the Government Gazette (Regulation 629, Gazette Number 42431 of 3 May 2019). Professional body status will allow EAPASA to confer the professional designation of Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) on members registered under the requirements of the Section 24H Registration Authority Regulations of the NEMA.

EAPASA would be grateful for letters of support for its application for professional body status, to be sent to 'The Director: Registration and Recognition, SAQA', emailed to professionalbody@saqa.org.za

Please find attached a copy of the Gazette and SAQA's evaluation report on EAPASA's application.

EAPASA announces launch of Online Registration Process for Environmental Assessment Practitioners at media event held at Durban’s International Convention Centre on Tuesday 27 November 2018 from 08:30 to 13:00

The Chairperson and Board of the Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa (EAPASA) are pleased to announce the launch of Online Registration for Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs) in South Africa.

The launch is a historic moment that marks the formalisation of a vigorous and growing environmental profession. Since the emergence of environmental assessment (EA) as a distinct discipline in the 1970s, South Africans have earned praise internationally for making significant contributions to EA theory and practice. South Africa is about to embark on an initiative that is - on the available evidence - the first legally-based compulsory EAP Register in the world.

In the near future, EAPs will have access to an online registration system for entering their qualifications and work experience to prove competence for registration, at www.eapasa.org

The legal standard against which registrations are assessed - the qualification standard for Environmental Assessment Practice - was re-registered by the Board of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) on 25 October 2018. This has made it possible for EAPASA to begin fulfilling its legal responsibility as the single Registration Authority for EAPs in South Africa.

EAPASA was appointed on 8 February 2018 by the then Minister of Environmental Affairs, the Honourable Dr Edna Molewa. Given the Minister’s untimely passing on 22 September 2018, it is with deep regret that EAPASA will not be able to celebrate the launch with her. The imminent and enduring registration of EAPs will be one of her many legacies. EAPASA is sincerely grateful to the Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs, the Honourable Barbara Thomson, and Director-General Ms Nosipho Ngcaba for their ongoing support, and looks forward to working with the new Minister, the Honourable Ms Nomvula Mokonyane.

The Board of EAPASA is proud to be the custodian of the first compulsory Register of Environmental Assessment Practitioners in South Africa and the world. Once EAPASA has registered EAPs, their details will be contained in the EAP Register which will be hosted on the EAPASA website.

EAPASA was established in 2011 by the then Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs, the Honourable Rejoice Mabudhafasi, to advance, on a nonprofit basis, the practice of environmental assessment and the quality of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) in the public interest and in the interest of the environment. Initiating organisations included 17 existing professional associations, councils and institutes, and 17 national and provincial government departments. The first Board of EAPASA was appointed in 2012, and since then EAPASA has established the necessary systems and processes required to function as the Registration Authority.

On 1 September 2017, the Minister gazetted her intention to appoint EAPASA and invited comments during a 30 day period of consultation. After considering the comments submitted, the Minister decided to continue with the appointment of EAPASA and to limit the number of registration authorities to EAPASA as the only Registration Authority, in terms of section 24H(6) of the NEMA.

On 8 February 2018, the Minister of Environmental Affairs promulgated (Notice No 41434 in Government Gazette 632 of 8 February 2018) the appointment of EAPASA as the single Registration Authority for EAPs in South Africa. This appointment was made in terms of section 24H (3)(a) of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998). The appointment of EAPASA is for a period of five years commencing from the date of publication of the Notice in the Gazette.

The objectives of EAPASA are:

To assure the public, authorities and developers that practitioners are competent and ethical, by:

Upholding criteria for the registration of EAPs, which include academic knowledge and the skills that are developed from practical experience;

Upholding a Code of Ethical Conduct and Practice that directs EAPs to act in the best interest of the environment, sustainable development and the public good, which all practitioners must sign on registration;

Promoting continued professional development (CPD) of EAPs, and requiring a thorough CPD record which must be submitted after five years as part of an application for the renewal of registration; and

Establishing professional conduct enquiries, including disciplinary procedures and sanction mechanisms.

To promote the progressive transformation and restructuring of the profession such that it is representative of the demographics of the country, focusing specifically on support for candidate black people, women, youth and people with disabilities.

To promote general awareness of the purpose and practice of environmental assessment in South Africa.

Addendum 2: How EAPASA will function as Registration Authority

The EAPASA website www.eapasa.org has detailed information about how to register. An ‘Applicant Guideline Manual’ is available on the EAPASA website in the section for ‘Documents’ - https://www.eapasa.org/index.php/documents. This manual specifies six core competencies and a number of associated assessment criteria for each competency. These core competencies have been taken directly from the Qualification Standard for Environmental Assessment Practice mentioned in the Section 24H Registration Authority Regulations (see http://allqs.saqa.org.za/showQualification.php?id=61831).

The Registration Committee of EAPASA will initially use the principles of Recognition of Prior Learning to assess applicants against the six core competencies and associated assessment criteria of the national Qualification Standard. An applicant must submit a comprehensive Portfolio of Evidence outlining their qualification(s) and experience on a web-based application system. For each assessment criterion, applicants are given 350 words in which to provide written evidence that they have met the criterion, and are required to further upload a range of supporting documents.

There are two categories for registration: (1) Candidate EAP, newly graduated without experience, and (2) Registered EAP with at least three years of relevant experience. Acceptable degrees can be based in a range of disciplines. In future such degree programmes will need to be accredited against the Qualification Standard by the statutory Quality Council.

Candidate EAPs need to have an Honours level qualification that focuses on the six core competencies and assessment criteria described in the Manual. In future, any applicant who has obtained an accredited Honours level degree (or higher qualification) that covers these competencies will be automatically accepted as a Candidate EAP. At present, however, given that it is going to take some time for tertiary institutions to be formally accredited against this standard, recent graduates seeking registration as Candidate EAPs will need to fill in the online registration system, providing evidence of having covered, and mastered, the core competencies in their studies.

The Manual indicates that in order to be certified as a Registered EAP one will need to show evidence of having mastered the six core competencies and associated criteria through (a) academic study or through Recognition of Prior Learning principles, and (b) appropriate professional experience gained from having completed or reviewed at least three Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) consistent with the requirements of the EIA Regulations in South Africa, over a period of at least three years.